improving your attic ventilation

Is your attic ventilated properly? When the temperatures outside get hot, can you feel the heat coming from your attic into your living space? If so, there is a good chance that your attic hasn't been properly ventilated. Some attic spaces weren't designed well and trap the hot air that the sun is creating instead of letting it ventilate out of the house. When this happens, the interior of your home will heat up more quickly and you will pay more to try to maintain a comfortable temperature. This blog will show you all about attic ventilation and teach you what needs to be done to improve it.

Check These Items Before You Call Your A/C Tech For Repairs

Posted on:
18 September 2014

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Emergency repair calls are not cheap, and you need to minimize the cost as much as possible. In addition to doing your regular system maintenance, there are some items you should check before you pick up the phone and call in a technician.

Ensure That You Have Done All You Can

When the air isn't coming on, there are a couple simple problems that could cause it that don't require a visit from a technician. First, check the breakers. There are plenty of reasons these can trip, and most don't require any intervention beyond turning them back on. If you can find a pattern (such as a breaker that trips every time the air comes on), then it is indeed time for a visit, but a one-time event is not cause for concern.

Second, take a look to see when the last time you changed your filters was. A full filter can wreak havoc on your system, including causing it to shut down. Change the filter, leave things off for a few hours, and see if this resolves the problem.

Check the Condition of Visible Parts

Your HVAC tech will be able to get things up and running faster if they bring the right tools and replacement parts with them. When you make the call, be sure that you can tell them the make and model of your system. In addition, things like frozen coils or water in the drain pan will help clue the tech in to what could have gone wrong. In addition, they will want to know if the fan and condenser in the outdoor portion of the unit are running properly.

Turn Off the System so It Can Defrost

When things in your air conditioner go wrong, it often causes the condenser coils to freeze up. Since the technician can't do their job until the coils warm up, you should shut of the air as soon as you discover the problem. If you don't, you might be paying for the technician to stand around waiting for the coils to warm up.

Calling an HVAC tech is expensive enough, you don't need to drive up the bill by giving the dispatcher inaccurate information. Checking these items will ensure that, by the time the tech is knocking on your door, they understand the problem and be ready to fix it right away. This will minimize your labor time, and therefore, your bill.